Harold II is chiefly remembered today, perhaps unfairly, for the brevity of his reign and his death at the Battle of Hastings. The papers collected here seek to shed new light on the man and his milieu before and after that climax. They explore the long career and the dynastic network behind Harold Godwinesson's accession on the death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, looking in particular at the important questions as to whether Harold's kingship was opportunist or long-planned; a usurpation or a legitimate succession in terms of his Anglo-Scandinavian kinships? They also examine the posthumous legends that Harold survived Hastings and lived on as a religious recluse. The essays in the second part of the volume focus on the Bayeux Tapestry, bringing out the small details which would have resonated significantly for contemporary audiences, both Norman and English, to suggest how they judged Harold and the other players in the succession drama of 1066. Other aspects of the Tapestry are also covered: the possible patron and locations the Tapestry was produced for; where and how it was designed; and the various sources - artistic and real - employed by the artist.
GALE OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester.   hardback   ISBN 978-1-843-83124-2

Price:  £45.00

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most extraordinary artefacts to survive from the eleventh century. A fragile web of woollen thread on linen, its brilliant colours undimmed after nearly a thousand years, this masterpiece is unique as a complete example of an art form beloved of the aristocracy in the Romanesque era - the `historiated' or narrative embroidery. The momentous story it tells is that of one of the turning-points in English and European history, the struggle for the succession to the English throne which culminated in the Battle of Hastings in the fateful year of 1066. The version told is that of the Normans who commissioned it - of Harold's perjury and its dreadful price, death and defeat in battle. Yet the sympathies of the English hands that designed and created it are equally evident. And the Tapestry itself is so close to the events it describes, and portrays them in such vivid detail,as to make it in its own right a historical source of the first order, not only for the political crisis of 1064-66 but also for the social history of eleventh-century life. This book presents a full-colour reproduction of the entire Tapestry, with a detailed commentary alongside each episode, equipping the reader to follow the story blow by blow and this marvellous work of art step by step. In addition, a preliminary study sets the Tapestry in its artistic, cultural and historical context. The late Lucien Musset, Emeritus Professor of the University of Caen, studied the Tapestry of nearby Bayeux for nearly fifty years. This erudite but highly readable survey distils a lifetime's scholarship into a wise and impeccably researched synthesis which enables the modern reader to appreciate what the Tapestry meant in the context of its time, at the start of the last millennium.   hardback   ISBN 978-1-843-83163-1

Price:  £25.00

`The Bayeux Tapestry presents its story of the Norman Conquest of England in words of such simplicity and images of such power that it has long determined the view we take of the momentous events of 1064-6. This digital edition creates new and exciting ways of viewing the Tapestry, with additional features in the form of a brilliantly-conceived array of supporting material. It transforms the way in which students and teachers alike will be able to approach, to use and to enjoy one of the most remarkable of all our sources for the middle ages.' Simon Keynes, Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, University of Cambridge.
This CD-Rom presents full images of the tapestry itself, magnifiable so that individual stitches can be seen, with images of three facsimiles, and of many related artifacts. They are accompanied by authoritative translations of seventeen historical sources concerning the events of 1066, maps, genealogies, bibliography, and full commentary, in an attractive interface.
MARTIN K. FOYS is at Hood College, Maryland.
Individual licence: you may make one copy of this publication on your hard disc.
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2003.   CD ROM   ISBN 978-0-953-96104-7

Price:  £35.00

`The Bayeux Tapestry presents its story of the Norman Conquest ofEngland in words of such simplicity and images of such power that it haslong determined the view we take of the momentous events of 1064-6. Thisdigital editon creates new and exciting ways of viewing the Tapestry,with additional features in the form of a brilliantly-conceived array ofsupporting material. It transforms the way in which students andteachers alike will be able to approach,to use and to enjoy one of themost remarkable of all our sources for the Middle Ages.' Simon Keynes,Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, University ofCambridge. This CD-Rom presents full images of the tapestry itself, magnifiable sothat individual stitches can be seen, with images of three facsimiles,and of many related artifacts. They are accompanied by authoritativetranslations of seventeen historical sources concerning the events of1066, maps, genealogies, bibliography, and full commentary, in an attractive interface.
MARTIN K. FOYS is at Hood College.
Institutional licence: you may mount this publication on a single networked installation with no more than twenty computers connected to it, and you may make one copy of the data on a hard disc. No other copies of the data on this CD-ROM may be made. You may lend this CD-ROM to members of the institutions, who may project images from this CD for instructional use.
Outstanding Academic Title 2003.   CD ROM   ISBN 978-0-953-96105-4

Price:  £85.00